Supporting an elementary school near Guayaquil in Ecuador

Posted on 20 Nov, 2018 by GFA

In 2018, GFA BRIDGES supports the Ojalá e.V. association, which runs the Jesús de Nazareth primary school in a poor community on the outskirts of Guayaquil in Ecuador. "Ojalá" means "hopefully" in Spanish.

In 1988, the Ecuadorian teacher Margarita Richard founded the primary school as there was no local state school. For support the school financially, she founded the non-profit organization Ojalá e.V. in 1996. The school is completely financed by donations, which are mostly provided in the form of sponsorships. All contributors to Ojalá e.V. work voluntarily.

Twenty-six years ago, a two-story school building with an attached kindergarten was built, in which the children have been taught ever since. Currently, 235 children attend school and many of the teachers have been involved in the school for years. After so many years, large parts of the building are in poor condition. Urgent renovations of the roof, supporting structures of the building, stairways and toilets had to be postponed repeatedly because of a lack of money. The funds from GFA BRIDGES will be used for these indispensable repairs so that the children can continue going to school safely. This will form the basis of their education for a better future for themselves and their families. The construction measures are planned be finished by January 2019, just in time for the 30th anniversary of the school.